Rail

Cubic, PATCO open payment pilot enters new phase

Cubic Transportation Systems Inc., a business segment of Cubic Corp. and creator of Lindenwold, N.J.-based Port Authority Transit Corp.’s (PATCO) Wave & Pay ANYWHERE Visa Prepaid Card, announced Phase Two of the open payment pilot program, which will enable riders to use a plastic contactless Visa, MasterCard or Discover card or a virtual card in a mobile wallet, to make secure transit payments at PATCO gates and parking terminals.

Riders will simply tap their cards and go, paying their PATCO fares with a quick flick of the wrist.

Officials from Cubic said the PATCO pilot program is designed not only to speed riders through stations, but also to gain valuable technical information on the best practices for deploying and operating future contactless payment systems in other transit systems. This will include Chicago where Cubic is under contract to deliver open payment.

In 2011, PATCO partnered with Cubic Transportation Systems to create the first transit-agency branded, all contactless Visa prepaid card in the world. This was among one of the first times that consumers had been able to use the same transit payment card for both transit and retail purchases.

During Phase One, PATCO riders could pay all of their PATCO fees with the Wave & Pay card and then use the same card to pick up a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread on the way home.

Rail Operations is currently in the process of replacing all stub end tracks at Hoboken Terminal with new sliding friction bumper blocks, as well as advancing a speed control system for trains entering Hoboken Terminal.

The $99 million streetcar opened in December 2014 amid sky-high expectations, but ridership failed to meet expectations in its first year and plummeted nearly 60% after the city began charging $1 to ride.